Published: Monday, February 11, 2013 at 7:14 a.m.

Last Modified: Monday, February 11, 2013 at 7:14 a.m.

Ruth Reeves admittedly is not an artist. The Flat Rock resident, however, has an eye for talent.

That ability to work with artists has served her well for more than three decades, and her artists, both new and established, have painted families, children and famous figures.

Most recently, Reeves’ company, Portraits Inc., was commissioned to paint a portrait of Army Gen. Martin Dempsey. Dempsey is the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Portraits Inc. has painted: Colin Powell, retired general and secretary of state; Madeleine Albright, former secretary of state; and Francis Harvey, former secretary of the U.S. Army.

Reeves owns a third of the national company, and the primary gallery is in New York at 89th Street and Madison Avenue. Reeves and her two partners — one lives in Columbus, Ohio, and the other in Birmingham, Ala. — bought the company three years ago.

“It was quite a prestigious buy for us,” Reeves said.

One of Reeves’ responsibilities for Portraits Inc., which is one of the largest portrait companies in the country, is government contracting. The company also contracts with private companies for corporate portraits.

Reeves knows the military all too well. Her father was an officer in the Army, and her brother graduated from West Point.

Reeves originally is from California and owned a gallery in downtown Hendersonville next to Hannah Flanagan’s restaurant. She moved the company, formerly known as The Portrait Source, to Flat Rock three years ago. Reeves has lived in Henderson County for 26 years.

Her interest in the portrait world began when her father-inlaw was the president of a company. He wanted a portrait and asked Reeves to find an artist.

In her current gallery, a wide range of portraits hangs on the walls — everything from pastels under glass to purist paintings. Her list of artists is international.

The portraits on the walls aren’t for sale. Instead, they provide examples for those seeking portraits of themselves or loved ones.

“The South is such a perfect place for portraiture,” Reeves said. “It’s very traditional.”

A client will come in and look over an artist list. Once the artist is chosen, that artist will be flown in if need be and will spend a significant amount of time with the subject. Once the artist is ready to paint, the artist and client will communicate and make corrections until the finished product is what was envisioned.

The only local artist used by Reeves is Fletcher resident Kelly Phipps.

“She’s very tenacious,” Reeves said of Phipps. “She’s very talented.”

That is the part of the job that Reeves loves so much; she’s enamored by the artists.

“The real beauty of it is, I get to work with the people,” she said. “I get to live vicariously through their talent. I don’t have the ability. They do.”

It’s not just the talent. It’s also the finished product. As Reeves moved through her gallery, she shared the details of the different paintings.

“It’s not just a painting,” she said. “It’s not flat. It’s not one-dimensional. There’s such a beauty to that. There’s a beauty to human form.”

The portraits, whether for government or personal, are records of history, Reeves said. The Dempsey portrait, for instance, showed details of who the general is both personally and professionally, Reeves said. His medals are detailed and tell a history that other military personnel will know. There’s a photograph of his family in the portrait as well.

“This is a recording of everything the man is,” she said. “This is a cultural conversation.” That’s what makes finding talent even more important, Reeves said. Her artists need to understand what the portrait business requires and have the talent to undertake such a personal venture. That’s where the past 30 years of experience for Reeves comes into play. It’s what makes the job worthwhile at the end of the day.

“After 30 years, I like to think I have an eye for what we’re trying to promote,” she said. “This is a very unique business.”

<p>Ruth Reeves admittedly is not an artist. The Flat Rock resident, however, has an eye for talent.</p><p>That ability to work with artists has served her well for more than three decades, and her artists, both new and established, have painted families, children and famous figures.</p><p>Most recently, Reeves' company, Portraits Inc., was commissioned to paint a portrait of Army Gen. Martin Dempsey. Dempsey is the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.</p><p>Portraits Inc. has painted: Colin Powell, retired general and secretary of state; Madeleine Albright, former secretary of state; and Francis Harvey, former secretary of the U.S. Army.</p><p>Reeves owns a third of the national company, and the primary gallery is in New York at 89th Street and Madison Avenue. Reeves and her two partners — one lives in Columbus, Ohio, and the other in Birmingham, Ala. — bought the company three years ago.</p><p>“It was quite a prestigious buy for us,” Reeves said.</p><p>One of Reeves' responsibilities for Portraits Inc., which is one of the largest portrait companies in the country, is government contracting. The company also contracts with private companies for corporate portraits.</p><p>Reeves knows the military all too well. Her father was an officer in the Army, and her brother graduated from West Point.</p><p>Reeves originally is from California and owned a gallery in downtown Hendersonville next to Hannah Flanagan's restaurant. She moved the company, formerly known as The Portrait Source, to Flat Rock three years ago. Reeves has lived in Henderson County for 26 years.</p><p>Her interest in the portrait world began when her father-inlaw was the president of a company. He wanted a portrait and asked Reeves to find an artist.</p><p>In her current gallery, a wide range of portraits hangs on the walls — everything from pastels under glass to purist paintings. Her list of artists is international.</p><p>The portraits on the walls aren't for sale. Instead, they provide examples for those seeking portraits of themselves or loved ones.</p><p>“The South is such a perfect place for portraiture,” Reeves said. “It's very traditional.”</p><p>A client will come in and look over an artist list. Once the artist is chosen, that artist will be flown in if need be and will spend a significant amount of time with the subject. Once the artist is ready to paint, the artist and client will communicate and make corrections until the finished product is what was envisioned.</p><p>The only local artist used by Reeves is Fletcher resident Kelly Phipps.</p><p>“She's very tenacious,” Reeves said of Phipps. “She's very talented.” </p><p>That is the part of the job that Reeves loves so much; she's enamored by the artists. </p><p>“The real beauty of it is, I get to work with the people,” she said. “I get to live vicariously through their talent. I don't have the ability. They do.” </p><p>It's not just the talent. It's also the finished product. As Reeves moved through her gallery, she shared the details of the different paintings. </p><p>“It's not just a painting,” she said. “It's not flat. It's not one-dimensional. There's such a beauty to that. There's a beauty to human form.” </p><p>The portraits, whether for government or personal, are records of history, Reeves said. The Dempsey portrait, for instance, showed details of who the general is both personally and professionally, Reeves said. His medals are detailed and tell a history that other military personnel will know. There's a photograph of his family in the portrait as well. </p><p>“This is a recording of everything the man is,” she said. “This is a cultural conversation.” That's what makes finding talent even more important, Reeves said. Her artists need to understand what the portrait business requires and have the talent to undertake such a personal venture. That's where the past 30 years of experience for Reeves comes into play. It's what makes the job worthwhile at the end of the day. </p><p>“After 30 years, I like to think I have an eye for what we're trying to promote,” she said. “This is a very unique business.” </p><p>Reach Millwood at 828-6947881 or at joey.millwood@blueridgenow.com.</p>